Incandescent gas-lighting.



PATENTED OUT. 10, 1905.

C. SCOTT-SNELL. INCANDESOENT GAS LIGHTING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 29, 1904.

WIT/V5885? W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES SCOTT-SNELL, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, AS-

SIGNOR TO AIR LIGHT COMPANY LIMITED, OF ESTMINSTER,

LONDON, ENGLAND.

INCANDESCENT GAS-LIGHTING.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 10, 1905.

To all wiwnt f2 iii/t y concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES SCOTT-SNELL,

a subject of the King of Great Britain and Ireland, residing at 51 Victoria street, \Vestminster, in the county of Middlesex, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in and Relating to Incandescent Gas- Lighting, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to what is known as intensified gas-lighting. Intensified gaslighting is obtained at present mainly by Supplying gas under pressure to incandescent gasburners, so that an increased supply of air is drawn into the burner. Thus a more completely combustible mixture is obtained which will burn with a more intense flame at the burner-head, so that the incandescent mantle reaches a higher temperature and the illuminating value of a given area of mantle is greatly increased over what can be obtained with ordinary chimney-d raft. It has also been proposed to obtain this additional supply of air to each burner by almost completely inclosing the burner and employing a long chimney to draw practically a completely combustible mixture of gas and air through the burner. It has also been proposed to employ air under considerable pressure distributed to a series of burners, the gas and air supplies being controlled by means of cocks to give the proper proportion for combustible mixture. To obtain the gas or air under pressure for a distribution system, it has been hitherto proposed to employ gas or air compressing apparatus which will produce some considerable pressure, supplying either or both gas and air at pressures always exceeding the normal gaspressure supply of two or three inches of water-column and generally at least eight inches of water-column.

Now the object of this invention is to obtain this intensified gas lighting with simpler means than have hitherto been employed.

The invention consists in a system comprising a number of burners, each burner being supplied with gas and with air under a relativel y very small pressure through a com paratively large conduit of small resistance, such air-supply being obtained conveniently from a fan driven by a suitable motor, preferably an electric motor. The several branches from the conduit connecting to the burners are also of large bore and arranged without taps or the like, so that the reslstance of the conduit and its branches is practically the same,

whether burners are in use or not.

Only the gas-supply is controlled by taps and no mixture takes place except in the burner-mixing tube, although the whole air passing through the burners for combustion is supplied from the air-trunk. This system is of great value in flour-mills or dusty warehouses where the burners at present tend to choke very badly. The supply of air for the burners can be drawn by the fan from the outside of the building and supplied by way of the large air-trunk to the burners.

Referring to the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of one modification of the system, Figs. 2 and being elevations showing diagrammatically two arrangements of the burners.

In carrying the invention into effect according to the modification shown in Fig. 1 a large air-trunk u is provided capable of passingair to supply a series of burners under small pressure. One-tenth to one-fiftieth of an inch of water-column is found to be sufficient. On the other end of this trunk a fan a is provided, preferably working in a ring or hood and driven by a small electric motor 1/. Onto the air-trunk are attached the various branches 7), carrying the burners. These branches are also of relatively large bore, and burner-heads f are provided on the burners. A gas-service pipe is also arranged with branches l1, supplying a gas-jet 1 at each burner.

A moderate length of pipe 0 is preferably provided, Fig. 2, which will act as a mixingtube for the burner-head. Each burner-head f is arranged with a non-lighting back top and is made with passages of sulficient capacity to offer no substantial resistance to the air-supply. The fan is thus able to supply a considerable number of burners, as the energy it is required to give out for even a large airsupply is relatively small. Oocks are not provided on the air branches 5. The lights are allowed to be put out by turning off the gas at the cocks j, the air-supply blowinginto the atmosphere when the burner is not lighted except when all the lights are extinguished, in which case the fan may be stopped. The

fan is therefore working against practically a constant resistance and is thoroughly reliable.

In a large system several fans working each its own section may be installed in preference to a single fan doing all the Work, or Where a single fan is suflicient at one end of the airduct a duplicate fan may be installed for emer-' gencies at the other end, but until required having no connection with the air-duct a, being separated therefrom by a damper or cut-off plate.

In distributing air for a large number of lights where the air-duct is required of large diameter this may be made of ornamental section or in factories may-conveniently be made of canvas or like material, preferably fireproofed.

Where the lights have to standdrafts or to burn in a foul atmosphere, the burner-tube 6, Fig. 3, is preferably surrounded with an additional tube Z, which is adapted to carry at its head an open-topped globe n. This outer tube Z is jointed to the globe, so that the external atmosphere is not admitted, and the supply of air from the trunk in addition to passing up through the burner-tube 0 passes also through the holes m in the bottom of the tube 6 and up between the tubes 6 and Z and delivers a certain amount of air into the space Within the globe surrounding the mantle. The globe has thus always a certain amount of outflow, which renders the lantern practically draftproof. This lantern is in appearance very like an ordinary arc-lamp.

Havlng now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is 1. In combination with a separate air-distribution system for intensified gas-lighting in which an air-compressor delivers the air for combustion to a number of lamps, means for, maintaining a constant load on the compressor consisting of distributing-ducts of low resistance and free from valve and cock control, substantially as and for the purpose described.

2. An intensified gas-lighting system having in combination, a number of gas-burners, an air-trunk of comparatively large diameter common thereto, a plurality of separate connecting-branches free from cock control and arranged to supply the lampsv in parallel, means for forcing a comparatively large volume of air at low pressure into said trunks, and means for supplying gas to said lamps.

3. In an intensified gas-lighting system having a free and uninterrupted separate air-supply, means for maintaining a sufficient updraft in the chimney to counteract external drafts comprising a tube Z arranged concentrically outside the burner-tube e and holes m connecting said outer tube with the air-supply.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES SCOTT-SNELL. 

